Operation High Rollers Completed With 11 Drug Traffickers Sent To Federal Prison

SAVANNAH, GA: Eleven members of a drug-trafficking organization face long federal prison sentences after the successful completion of Operation High Rollers, a multi-year investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) into the multi-state drug distribution and money-laundering conspiracy.

More than $135,000 and a significant amount of marijuana was seized during the investigation.

The 11 defendants were part of a cartel that purchased marijuana in Texas and California and shipped it to Savannah, Statesboro and other parts of the country for sale. To conduct their illicit transactions, the drug trafficking organization laundered more than $8 million in illegal proceeds through multiple banks using deposits and withdrawals structured to conceal them from detection.

Since their indictments in December 2016 on charges of conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana and conspiracy to engage in money laundering, all 11 have pled guilty and have now been sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. Sentenced in the operation are:

• Lametheus Terence Douglas, sentenced to 188 months in prison;
• Kai Jacobie Bolden, sentenced to 120 months in prison;
• Deshawn Binah Reilley, sentenced to 200 months in prison;
• Larry Turner Douglas Jr., sentenced to 30 months in prison;
• Curel Taylor Reilley, sentenced to 24 months in prison;
• Samory Toure Williams, sentenced to 87 months in prison;
• Jovan Antuan Myrick, sentenced to 30 months in prison;
• Delmus Lockhart Jr., sentenced to 37 months in prison;
• Brian Donivan Ulmer, sentenced to 46 months in prison;
• Vicobri Roykiam Miller, sentenced to 78 months in prison; and,
• Darvin Esquire Strand Jr., sentenced to 60 months in prison.
   

In addition, Judge Moore also sentenced each defendant to three to five years of supervised release following completion of their prison terms. There is no parole in the federal prison system.

“This was a far-reaching, complex conspiracy to spread illegal drugs across the nation, and this operation to dismantle the conspiracy demonstrates the dedication and determination of our law enforcement officers and prosecutors,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “But no matter how hard these drug traffickers try to hide their activities, we will find them, shut them down and put them in prison.”

Personnel participating in Operation High Rollers included those from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“Removing dangerous drugs from the streets and hitting drug traffickers in their pockets are both integral parts of dismantling sophisticated drug distribution networks, as was the case in this investigation,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s Atlanta Field Division. “Their money is their lifeline and without it, their drug distribution activities cannot survive. This investigation was a success because of the fine police work conducted by a collection of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and the subsequent prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.” 

Assistant United States Attorneys Karl I. Knoche and Matthew Josephson represented the United States in this investigation and prosecution.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422